Women in the 19th and 21st Century..

Women in the 19th and 21st Century

While it is true that the modern woman, in developed countries, has a position and a promising future indeed, we must not forget the cost that this has brought. Women have never had it easy and each effort towards equality has been achieved through a long time of intolerance, rejection and intransigence. The achievement of the indispensable and fundamental rights for women in today’s society such as the right to vote or a free and equal education has been shaped over centuries of silent and humiliating struggle. It wasn’t until the twentieth century that most changes have been made due to the struggle of thousands of women throughout history.

To begin with, the 19th century in America was a time of change, of development, and of war. There were many immigrants, and tension between the Northern and Southern States. During the 19TH century the privileged rich ladies lived idly and cultivated the arts. However, the fate of women in the middle and lower classes was very different. They cooperated with hard work to support the family, as well as serving women of higher position and performing tasks at home. From the early nineteenth century, women experienced discrimination in any industry by cheap labor; they were paid significantly less than men. During this period many feminists from around the globe fought long and hard for their rights advocating social equality, intended for women who had the same opportunities as men in the fields of education and employment without discrimination based on sex.

Moreover, most women in the mid-19th century lived in a state little better than slavery. They had to obey men, because in most cases men held all the resources and women had no independent means of subsistence (Wojtczak). Girls received less education than boys, were barred from universities, and could obtain only low-paid jobs. Women's sole purpose was to marry and reproduce (Wojtczak).

Furthermore, Native American or Indian women in the 19th century had smooth, dark hair, parted down the middle, wore skirts and corsages made of leather. They would normally have stockings to their knees and moccasins on their feet (Brislen). Indian women did all the farming, raised the children, took care of household responsibilities, and performed other outside jobs. Indian women could also hold respectful jobs such as prophets, midwives, medicine women, and even warriors. African American women of this time were mostly enslaved. And the free African American women lived mainly in the North. The female slaves worked mainly in the house; they did housework, were nannies for their masters children, and were also used to work in the field (Brislen). A majority of the slaves could not read or write, and had little to no education (Wojtczak).

In addition, lower class White women worked for higher-class families doing household duties and they also had all the responsibilities of their household (Wojtczak). Upper class women were used to luxuries and once they had their own household and plantation to run they had to take over all the responsibilities involved in running the slave plantation (Wojtczak). Once a woman was married, everything she owned became her husband’s. In general, a white woman in the 19th century had no or very few political rights. They were unable to vote, or have any political views. They also had a very limited career selection, as women were excluded from most jobs and they were not often very educated (Brislen).

Accordingly, the nineteenth century was a time of domination, democracy excluded women, but women were not passive victims and the birth of feminism is proof of that. There were many changes that occurred throughout the century. During this period there was a breakdown of the female model that was intended to standardize women´s social roles as wives and mothers whose rights were defined in terms of their duties.

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